EdU (July 2009) by Independent Education Union (SA)

Vol 24 Issue 2 Jul 2009

EdU

Independent Education Union South Australia Working with members in non-government schools

Better service ? Considerate done.

Building your community.

Satisfac Direct Credit Union Ltd | 151 South Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000 | phone (08) 8202 7777 or 1800 018 227 (country SA) www.satisfac.com.au | ABN 36 087 651 232 | AFS Lic. 241066

Contents Secretorial Everyday is 1984. 25 years - Doesn’t time fly

It’s our Birthday and you get the presents

Wages Heading South for South Aussies

Balancing Act Paid Maternity Leave

Farewell Alison Walker

OHS Don’t Risk 2nd Rate Safety

Non-government Education Reflecting Diversity

Professional Portfolio Early Career Teacher Resilience Project

Frankly Speaking Catholic EA Update – ESO Classification

Charter for Teachers. A two edged sword

Industiral OnYa Principal: Parent blamed for teacher’s heart attack

Lutheran Digest – Negotiations Update

ESO Update You have it, use it, if you want to know more, ask 17 IEU Training

OHS Project OHS and “Building the Education Revolution”

Indigenous Issues Declaration of Indigenous Rights

Human Rights in Australia

What’s your problem? – Ask Dorothy

Campaign update – Your Rights at Work

ISSN 1448-3637 Published by Independent Education Union (South Australia) Inc. 213-215 Currie Street, Adelaide SA 5000 Phone: (08) 8410 0122 Fax: (08) 8410 0282 Country Callers: 1800 634 815 Email: enquiries@ieusa.org.au EdU is published 4 times a year and has a circulation of approximately 4000. Enquiries regarding circulation should be directed to the Office Manager, on (08) 8410 0122. Editorial comment is the responsibility of Glen Seidel, Secretary.

Advertising Disclaimer Advertising is carried in EdU in order to minimise costs to members. Members are advised that advertising that appears in EdU does not in any way reflect any endorsement or otherwise of the advertised products and/or services by the Independent Education Union (SA). Intending advertisers should phone (08) 8410 0122.

IEU(SA) Executive Members Margaret Sansom (Retired) (President) Glen Seidel (Secretary) John Blackwell (Retired) (Vice President) Jenny Gilchrist (Prince Alfred College) (Vice President) Val Reinke (Nazareth College) (Treasurer) Christopher Burrows (Cardijn College) Sheryl Hoffmann (Concordia College)

Spencer Gulf Tour Union Membership in our Country Schools

Marlene Maney (Cardijn College)

IEU Happy Snaps

Stephanie Margitich (Gleeson College)

Absolutely Super: Swan’s Super Song

Conference Report – Positive Education Training

APHEDA

Noel Karcher (Christian Brothers College)

Who’s who… Introducing Gerry Conley

What I do in my retirement

Youth@Work

AIRC Notice

DON’T FORGET TO ADVISE IEU(SA) IF: • You have changed address • You have changed your name

Member Notice As a requirement of the Registration and Accountability of Organisations Schedule of the Workplace Relations Act 1996, the IEU is required to publish an annual operating report to members. This can be accessed for 2009 on the IEU(SA) website www.ieusa.org.au Any member questions or comments on these operating reports should be directed to the Secretary. Glen Seidel - gseidel@ieusa.org.au

Shirley Schubert (Cornerstone College)

• You have changed schools • Your employment status has changed (eg now working part-time) • You are going on unpaid leave • You are retiring or leaving employment – you can remain a member at a reduced rate • Resignation from IEU(SA) must be in writing Details can be forwarded by email to carlyd@ieusa.org.au or by fax: 8410 0282 or by post.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Secretorial Glen Seidel Secretary On the other hand it was opening up a recognised channel for institutionalised industrial activity which had not been a feature of the sector in the past.

Everyday is 1984 25 years - Doesn’t time fly 1984 is a significant “number” in literature with parallels to the IEU’s history. In George Orwell’s novel “1984” an “everyman”, an ordinary public servant with the ordinary name of Winston Smith took on the injustices of a system he could not accept. At great personal risk and cost he rebelled against prevailing social thought perpetuated by “Big Brother” and enforced by the “thought police”. In 1984 a group of our own “everymen” and “everywomen” took a similarly brave and bold step to organise across schools in an independent way where there had been no particular history of workplace activism outside of institutionalised staff associations and myopic staff meetings. Whether they were a bunch of Fabians, lefties, disaffected idealists or just a group of courageous people demanding a fair go for their colleagues can be the subject of much musing and debate. There was probably a range conscious and unconscious motives amongst our embryonic activists. Ask them yourself. Val Reinke and Marg Sansom are still on executive; Louise Firrell is now an organiser; and life members Barry Morrison and Bernie Donnelly are regular attenders. Val has also just joined the ranks of the life members. There are many others who are still active as Reps and council delegates. 1984 was a time when government funding to non government schools was a hot topic. Perhaps it will always be so, but at that time the debate was particularly intense. The catholic and independent employers must have been experiencing their own Orwellian “doublethink” at the time. On one hand it was good to have their own staff take up the cudgels independently of the dominant public sector union (then called SAIT) because they expected such an organisation would be more understanding of their idiosyncrasies.

In 1984 The Association of Teachers in Independent Schools (ATIS) was born on the footpath of Greenhill Road after the non-government section of SAIT was evicted from the SAIT meeting over the issue of government funding to non government schools. In the ensuing years ATIS became ANGEE (Association of Non Government Education Employees) and finally the Independent Education Union (SA). The role of professional and industrial organisations has changed over the years. Industrial relations has been revolutionised over the last 25 years. Award coverage did not exist in 1984. The early ATIS had the task of writing the Teachers and School Assistants Awards. Industry superannuation became available with the formation of ISST in 1988. Individual school enterprise bargaining became the method for gaining improvements to pay and conditions from1997. This removal of reliance on centrally negotiated award changes proved challenging for members and employers alike. Workchoices caused industrial upheaval in schools as basic employment conditions were slashed by the Howard government. The Rudd government has retained much of the structure of Workchoices but restored much of the balance that was lost. It will not be until 2010 that we will have a stable and benign industrial system. Harmonisation appears to be occurring with many aspects of the professional and industrial agenda. The education debate is being increasingly driven from Canberra. The education unions are active in denouncing populist quick fix proposals and putting forward the views of the profession. OHSW is also in the throes of being “harmonised’ with the attendant risk of a lowest common denominator outcome. The challenges for the membership are becoming broader and more complex. As the agenda becomes more Canberracentric there is a tendency for members to think issues are removed from their influence. The challenge for the IEU(SA) is to be active through its federal union – IEUA and at the same time concentrate on local branch and member issues. For all our members 2009 is 1984. Every day of every year will be 1984. For our “everymen” and “everywomen” and “every-reps” and “every-members” the challenge is to remain vigilant against the forces of conformity that would destroy flair and excellence and fairness and justice and potential and achievement. May the spirit of Winston Smith live long in our Union and in our society. Happy anniversary.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Beginnings1984

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our Birthday and you get the presents! 2 WAYS TO WIN 1 Sign someone up and win For every financial member a member signs up in July and August they will be entered in the draw for a ME $250 account. Make sure the nominating memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name is on the member application form 2 Join and win Every new member who becomes financial in July and August will be entered in the draw for a $250 ME account. Last Direct Debit date for August is 21st

July & August Membership Promotion. Win one of 2 ME savings accounts worth $250! To be drawn at Annual Rep Conference September 4th. Prizes generously donated by our friends at Members Equity Bank.

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EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Wages Heading South for South Aussies

Julie Lundberg Assistant Secretary Of the 200 non-government schools in SA only 11 individual schools and 33 Lutheran Schools have negotiated Agreements or MOU’s to pay top step teacher salary rates at or over the 2008 $75,500 benchmark rate during the life of their current Agreement. That leaves members in the majority of Independent Schools and in all Catholic Schools well off the pace nationally. Every public sector in the country, apart from SA is paying at least $75,000 during 2009. The ACT is expected to exceed $75,500 during 2009. It is in the early stages of negotiations for a new Agreement and has a current top step teacher salary rate of $74,481 paid from July 2008. Tasmania pays the simple average of the mainland public sector rates of pay and is looking at a pay rise of 5.89% to lift it from its March 2008 rate of $71,133 to $75,322 in March 2009. That is even including the ‘lead in the saddles’ figure from SA. The SA public sector pay rate has not yet even reached the Tasmanian average rate from a year ago!

inadequate reflection. The Lutheran sector and a number of independent schools in SA have continued to position themselves relative to the national situation. All members in all non-government schools need to do the same. Table Two sets out public sector salary outcomes around Australia for top of the incremental scale teacher salaries.

Table 2 Public Sector Teacher Salary Rates, Australia Top Incremental Step 2009

2010

2011

Increment Date

NSW

$78,667

$81,657

$84,760

1-Jan

VIC

$77,546

$79,648

$81,806

1-Jan

$73,280

$78,521

1-Jan, 1-Feb

$76,944

$84,863

5-Oct, 1-Oct

$78,500

Table One sets out agreed independent school rates that meet the national benchmark of $75,500 for a Step 10 teacher (top of incremental scale). A number of independent schools have been negotiating wage rises with an eye on the national picture and continue to do so.

$76,351

A Professional Rate of Pay

TAS

$75,322

18-Mar

ACT

($74,279 July ‘08)

negs started

QLD

$75,236

$70,987

Pay negotiations in SA in 2009 are different to recent years. The DECS rate of pay is increasingly lagging national movement in teacher salaries. Pay is only one part of a total public sector schools funding package. This means the whole package becomes the benchmark including facilities, class sizes, conditions etc. Just looking at the pay component in DECS schools is likely to be an

$78,245

$81,255

offer 31-Jan

*Note: Qld rates are a soft barrier pay rate, dates to be agreed

Table 1 Step 10 Teacher Pay in Extended and Varied PSAs, MOU’s or CAs in SA 2009 – 2011 Schools

Feb-09

St Peter’s Boys (Feb, Jul) Prince Alfred College (Jan) Scotch College Walford School Pembroke School Eynesbury College Lutheran Schools (33) Annesley College Woodcroft College St Andrews School Pulteney (Feb, Aug, May, May) Tyndale (end Jan & Jul)

$77,844 $76,944* $74,892 $73,601 $74,347 $74,923 $72,694 $72,697 $72,516 $72,210 $72,345 $70,509

Aug-09

$76,390 $75,745 $75,734

$74,148 $74,765 $73,938 $73,971 $74,097 $71,920

Feb-10

Aug-10

Feb-11

Aug-11

$77,531   $78,490 $76,372 $76,144 $76,071 $75,732   $74,078

$81,736*

$81,104   $82,057       $79,254

$82,890           $81,015 $80,769*

$79,317

$77,899

$77,493 $77,433* $75,560

*Note: Pay increase dates other than Feb and Aug are listed beside school name

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Balancing Act Paid Maternity Leave – A Great Step Forward

While waiting for the start of the Mother’s Day Classic Walk and Fun Run, wearing our Paid Maternity Leave T-shirts, I commented to Janet Giles, Secretary of SAUnions, about the length of the Paid Maternity Leave Campaign. It seemed that we had been running the campaign for a very long time and we mused about the difficulties of sustaining the interest and momentum of our members. We shared the hope that there would be some form of Paid Maternity Leave scheme in the imminent Federal Budget despite the difficult economic times. Janet said that a seasoned campaigner had once told her that when you were starting to feel like that, the impact of the campaign was probably only just beginning to have the intended effect. As we began walking amidst thousands of other women, children and some supportive partners, Janet received a phone call from Sharron Burrow, ACTU President, breaking the news that there would be a national paid maternity scheme announced in the coming budget. The scheme would be similar in many respects to the scheme recommended recently to the government by the Productivity Commission. It would provide 18 weeks leave paid at the minimum wage for women who are in the paid workforce, although it would not be introduced until January 2011. This was indeed great news! While the scheme will be means tested and does not include superannuation contributions, it is a great step forward for Australian women and their families. Australia has at last, if belatedly, joined most countries throughout the developed and developing world, in supporting women

Louise Firrell Organiser/Educator

Janet Giles and SA Unions Women’s Committee celebrating after Mother’s Day Classic.

maintain their labour force attachment and care for their infant children. It is a win-win for families and employers. It will be of great value for the lowest paid women in the workforce who are casual or part-time, as well as providing additional support for those fortunate enough to have existing employer provided benefits. There will be a Federal election before January 2011. We do not have a crystal ball, so the outcome of this election is unknown. A promise made to begin after that date could be a hard one to keep particularly with a burgeoning budget deficit. SAUnions plans to initiate a ‘Cross Your Heart’ Campaign to try to ensure that currently serving politicians (and future candidates for the next election) remain committed to the Paid Maternity Leave promise. Each will be asked personally to promise and ‘cross their heart’ that they will continue to support the introduction of the scheme in 2011.

Farewell Alison Walker At the end of June, Alison Walker will hang up her mouse and leave IEU(SA) after 14 years for early retirement. I hesitate to use the word retirement because I can’t imagine Alison “pottering around” for too long without picking up some activity or other to become involved in. It definitely is “early” as I am selfishly concerned – too early. Alison has been a significant part of the growth of ANGEE/ IEUSA. Her high level public sector experience has brought a professionalism and an attention to detail and procedure to our Union as it grew into a political and industrial climate that required greater compliance and accountability from Unions. Alison readily rose to the challenge of learning electronic systems, servers, software and websites as we became more “wired” in the modern world. She oversaw the admin team to juggle the conflicting behind the scenes demands that have to be just right for us to present well in the public arena. She has the ability and drive to be meticulous in planning the logistics of all our major events from conferences to rallies. Her coordination of the production of EdU, the running of our website and other

Glen Seidel Secretary mass communications has been invaluable in keeping us in contact with our members and the broader sector. On a personal note Alison was a great help to me coming to grips with various practicalities as an incoming Secretary. Despite her initial comments to me that her role wasn’t that of a PA, and my natural inclination to not delegate anything to anyone, we developed a great working relationship where there wasn’t a professional conversation that couldn’t be had. Working with capable, open, interested people like Alison makes the demanding and pressured work of an active Union do-able and exciting. I will miss Alison and her professional and proactive approach to everything she puts her hand to. Her shoes will be difficult to fill not just because of the breadth of areas she covered, but because of the way she covered them.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

OHS

Don’t Risk 2nd Rate Safety Wendy Evans Workplace Health Organiser • Improving OHS standards by protecting the right of an injured party or their representative Union to prosecute. • Employers having the burden of proof in OHS prosecutions to establish they did all they could to make work healthy and safe. • The right to effective workplace representation on OHS issues. Occupational Health and Safety is a critical issue for IEU members and core business for the IEU.

Background In 2006 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) resolved to create a harmonised set of Occupational Health and Safety laws to apply in the federal, state and territory jurisdictions. At present there are nine different sets of OH&S Laws operating in Australia. The Federal Government and all the States and Territory Governments have agreed to move towards a simpler, more streamlined approach to OH&S law. In fact, many State governments have already made agreements to deal with cross border issues on OH&S and some aspects of Workers Compensation law. Employer associations have been lobbying Federal and State governments for years to adopt a single national OH&S system claiming that confusion and red tape are preventing good OH&S practice and harming the economy. Unions have supported harmonisation for different reasons. Employer submissions would reduce workers’ rights by adopting the least stringent OH&S provisions from around Australia. The Union movement, quite predictably, is looking to use the harmonisation agenda to increase the rights of all workers by adopting the best OH&S provisions as the basis of any national model for OH&S law.

What’s at stake? Disturbingly, recommendations for model OHS laws put forward by the National Review would undermine existing laws and safety standards and put workers at risk. Key areas identified by Unions that need to be urgently addressed to protect Australian workers and their families include: • Ensuring that workers and their representatives are consulted by employers about any issue that may affect their health and safety. • Ensuring no reduction in rights; powers and protections of health and safety representatives.

Under current laws in most states, employers must consult workers about heath and safety issues in the workplace. The proposed laws state that employers would only need to consult if it was “reasonably necessary” and only then with workers who were “directly affected.” As you would appreciate the difficulty comes when the employers and employees are forced to work out what is reasonable and who is directly affected. This sort of law leaves the issues of health and safety open to interpretation. This is exactly the sort of loose language which leads to disputes and puts people’s heath and wellbeing at risk. The IEU is particularly concerned when there is talk about the reduction to the rights, powers and protections of elected Health and Safety Representatives. The IEU is working hard to have Health and Safety Reps elected in all of our schools. These elected H&S Reps need clearly delineated powers and functions to be able to operate with confidence and purpose. Part of Gerry Conley’s government-funded project role is to visit schools and assist with the process of electing Health & Safety Reps for each workgroup at the school and to support H&S Reps in their role.

Conclusion The ACTU website contains material on the OHS Harmonisation process: http://www.actu.asn.au/ HealthSafety/Campaigns/DontRisk2ndRateSafety and contains an online petition which all members are urged to sign: http://www.rightsatwork.com.au/campaigns/ ohscampaignaction If you have any concerns about OHS in our schools (or more generally) contact: Wendy Evans – Organiser Workplace Health – wendye@ieusa.org.au or Gerry Conley – OHSW Project Officer – gerryc@ieusa.org.au

• The highest standard of employer duty of care to ensure workers’ health and safety are protected.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Learning their language, marking Kalu Sulaqa and saints’ days and celebrating events like the Assyrian New Year enable students of St Hurmizd Assyrian Primary School and Mar Narsai Assyrian College to keep their culture alive. These are the

“Our whole approach is one of inclusiveness and belonging and accepting that it is okay to be different.” Anne Maree Marek, Principal of Sts Peter and Paul Primary School, Garran, Canberra. With many students coming from Canberra’s embassies, there are about 30 nationalities represented at the school.

Students from Masada College (Jewish), Australian International Academy (Muslim) and Davidson High during the Respect, Understanding and Acceptance program, which is aimed at breaking down barriers. The program is an initiative of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. Photo: Jenny Kahn

“We are all trying to foster in students a sense of hope, identity, purpose, self-esteem and value. When we feel good about ourselves we feel good about and towards others.” Gary Brummell, Principal of Christian Community High School in Regent’s Park, Sydney, where more than 30 different languages are spoken at home.

Non-government Education Reflecting Diversity Chris Watt IEUA Federal Secretary Representing our members The IEUA represents 65,000 teachers, principals and support staff in non-government schools, colleges and early childhood services throughout Australia. Our members come from institutions of every major religion and faith, along with many non-religious schools. We, as a Union, are strong supporters of the values, ethics and principles that all schools, including public schools, share with the broader community. We acknowledge the vital work of educators in encouraging unity and breaking down stereotypes, and we support our schools in this endeavour. Whether public, non-government or Catholic, all schools have a valued and rightful place in our community and they remind us that diversity is something to celebrate. This is worth supporting. Australians come from a broad range of cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds and the non-government school sector both reflects and celebrates this diversity. For many families, the ability to send their children to schools reflecting their culture and values, teaching their faith, keeping alive their language or catering for specific needs is an integral part of what it means to be Australian. Non-government schools are also at the forefront of sharing culture within the community and building understanding. They provide frequent opportunities for people of many backgrounds to come together and learn from each other through cultural exchange programs, peace initiatives, interfaith events and diversity days.

The fabric of our future Our schools come in all shapes and sizes and, while they provide a broad choice, they also cater for many needs. The non-government education sector provides learning opportunities for a wide range of students who are either not easily accommodated in mainstream schools or who, for one reason or another, have had to find alternative opportunities. More than 80 specifically cater for special needs children and many more have large numbers of students from low socio-economic backgrounds. Some non-government schools with high numbers of Indigenous students have leading-edge programs to help maintain local language and culture. In the case of faithbased schools, these support families and communities in conveying their values to their children. In some cases they can even mean students are finally able to learn about a heritage that elsewhere has been kept from them.

Increasing enrolments There is a place for schools of all sectors in the Australian education landscape. Enrolments have increased in all school sectors over the last 40 years, with no decline in government school enrolments.

According to 2008 ABS data, there are 2729 non-government schools, catering for 1,169,740 students. These enrolments account for: 30.2% of all primary students 39.2% of all secondary students 34.1% of all students

Diverse nation, diverse education If Australia is serious about nation building and ensuring an equitable education for all, a good public education system is vital. Governments must provide high quality, well-funded public schools in every community. But this is far from the only mode of education chosen by Australian families. Just as families come in all shapes, faiths and cultural backgrounds, their reasons for choosing nongovernment schools are varied. For instance, more than 91,000 families with two or more children at school had children in more than one sector, and more than 650 families chose all three sectors. More than 200,000 students in Australian schools have at least one of their brothers or sisters educated in another school sector. Just as we are a nation in which more than 25 percent are overseas-born, more than 200 languages are spoken and, coinciding with immigration patterns, there has been an increase in people affiliated with religions other than Christianity, so to do non-government schools reflect our diversity.

Towards coherent funding The Independent Education Union of Australia has long argued for a federal funding regime for schooling that provides for transparency, accountability, certainty and adequacy. The IEUA believes that a more coherent public policy on education funding is essential. It must acknowledge the realities of Australian schools and provide the way forward for a more equitable and less divisive framework of schooling. The IEUA supports: â&#x20AC;˘ Development of clear principles to bring the differential funding from state and federal sources into a consistent framework. This would enable public discussion of funding realities to take account of all sources of funding for government and non-government schools. â&#x20AC;˘ The requirement that equity measures target extra funding across all schools where relevant student and/or school needs are identified.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Professional Portfolio

Early Career Teacher Resilience Project

Julie Lundberg Assistant Secretary

The three employer bodies covering all schools in SA, DECS, CESA and AISSA, have set up a taskforce to work with the three universities, UniSA, Flinders and Adelaide. The primary role of the taskforce is for collaboration around teacher supply and demand issues.

National Grant Project A multi-partner project funded through the Australian Research Council has commenced work on enhancing early career teacher resilience and retention in changing times. A group of early career teachers in SA schools are being interviewed as part of the project. The theoretical framework of the project has received a good response internationally and the research team are highly enthusiastic about the quality and relevance of the data the project will yield. An induction program, reduced workload, class and subject allocation suitable for a recent graduate, formal and informal mentoring and wider personal and professional support networks are all elements that current experience shows do not consistently come together in full for all beginning teachers. How new teachers cope with the reality of their early experiences and what it is that is particularly important to ‘survival’ in the early years and a desire to stay with teaching as a career are of greater concern as the predicted market shortage becomes closer to reality. Several PhD students are focussing on resilience and (a) how interactive online technology and social networking ‘helps’ and (b) style of personal and professional identity adoption and integration into the role of teacher.

Teacher Supply & Demand In SA, in contrast to WA, the other state involved in the project, teacher supply and demand has remained stable until now. The various projections of an absolute shortfall of teachers made over the last several decades have not eventuated in SA. However, planning and incentives have been needed to fill vacancies in some rural locations and secondary subject areas.

Poor early career experiences in schools is just one factor implicated in wastage rates of recent graduates. To date the employers, particularly those based in the greater metropolitan area of Adelaide, have been able to recruit high quality teachers. DECS in particular has been able to rely on a large reserve pool and has had few pressures to change employment practices. As the teacher workforce supply shrinks closer to the demand level, all three employer bodies need to facilitate, encourage and look after the needs of their current and future employee group. An absolute shortfall is projected within a few years unless employment practices change with new initiatives to facilitate, maintain and accommodate the current and future workforce.

Issues in Catholic and Independent Schools To ensure career path opportunities and teaching with colleagues well-matched to their roles, employers may take a number of steps: • Ongoing initiatives with both the universities and upcoming graduates to ensure capacity to fill needed specialist areas and hard to staff locations. • Offer of conditions that attract the very best to enrol in teacher education programs and then to the teaching profession. • Development opportunities for career paths including leadership both within and out of the classroom. • Excellent support for recent graduates with time for mentoring, reduced workload and appropriate roles and support. With pay issues at the forefront in SA and workload identified as a top issue by many, it will be interesting to see if an actual shortage of highly qualified teachers facilitates a wider employer focus on attracting and retaining staff.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

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Frankly Speaking

Catholic EA Update – ESO Classification Frank Bernardi Organiser

One of the key claims of the IEU log is to address the inadequacies and ambiguities within the current ESO classification structure. Reform is long overdue. The employers and IEU have recognised this for some time. The Enterprise Consultative Committee established a working party to begin the process of reviewing the current structure ahead of Enterprise Agreement negotiations. That working party identified issues such as: • Greater clarity is needed when progressing from one grade to another. • Newly evolved roles which were not considered when the current structure was drafted. • Ongoing education of Principals and ESOs regarding their responsibilities to regular reviews as outlined in the award.

The Victorian Catholic School Assistants Handbook was determined to be a suitable model for South Australian Catholic Schools. The IEU has put forward the proposal that an ESO’s jobs contain 4 key areas that need clear wording and recognisable boundaries. These guidelines are: • Criteria Use improved general and specific criteria to outline what the job involves in broad terms. • Supervision / Responsibility Make clear both the level of supervision the school assistant works under and the degree of responsibility (independence) they can be expected to exercise. • Qualifications Identify qualifications that are necessary to hold a position and what experience can be deemed an acceptable alternative. • Indicative Duties This will contain a summary of exemplar tasks for each stream at each level and possibly a list of common names or titles for employees in the differing categories. Work continues on this rewrite and the development of a handbook is progressing with good faith being shown by both sides as they seek to address the four key issues as identified above.

Charter for Teachers A two edged sword

In 2002 the Catholic Education Office and the Union (ANGEE at the time) were pleased to launch the jointly developed “Charter for Teachers in Catholic Schools SA”. This collaborative effort was welcomed as a positive step in our professional relationship with the CEO. The Union only participated in the project and agreed to jointly badge the Charter on the basis that the document was aspirational and would not be used in disciplinary proceedings against our members. For the first few years this agreement appeared to be honoured, but in recent years the CEO has been inserting references to potential breaches of the Charter in disciplinary letters to members. The CEO has rejected the IEU’s objections and has taken the position that it is entirely appropriate to include in letters alleging breaches of various formal policies an almost throw-away reference to the Charter in general. Recently this reached the extreme where a member was called to a formal meeting where the only allegation was based on a generous interpretation of the Charter.

The IEU’s position is still that the Charter should not be used for disciplinary matters and is at this stage reluctant to withdraw its endorsement for such a well considered statement.

Glen Seidel Secretary

The CEO should take note then that the Charter applies equally to management and staff. Principals and Deputies are also teachers and accountable for observing the Charter’s requirements. If Principals do not provide members procedural fairness • by not properly investigating allegations or • by introducing extraneous and generalised “where there’s smoke there’s fire” observations or • by not backing the professional judgment of staff they are in breach of the following Charter clauses. • The teacher works with others in a culture of trust, shared decision making and open communication. • The teacher maintains the professional reputation of colleagues. • The teacher acts according to the highest ethical standards in carrying out professional responsibilities. The Charter cuts both ways. Either neither of us use it formally or we both do. The IEU will not be complicit in badging a document which is only used against members and not also in their defence.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Industrial

OnYa Principal: Parent blamed for teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart attack From the school newsletter of a Queensland Catholic school Dear Parents and Caregivers, I usually endeavour to use the newsletter as a positive means of communicating with parents, caregivers and students, so am loath to raise some negative issues, but I feel that the time has come to use this newsletter as a way of conveying my concerns about a number of issues. One issue focuses on the behaviour of some parents and the other is centred on the behaviour of some students. Safe parking and the pick up and delivery of students on both campuses is an ongoing issue. Hence, the decision was taken to enforce drop off/pick up zones on the Junior Campus and to enforce the use of the supervised crossing. While this has enjoyed the support of the majority of parents, it has not been unusual for the staff supervising the crossing to be yelled at, abused or ignored â&#x20AC;&#x201C; simply for trying to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your children. Unfortunately, last Wednesday afternoon saw a member of staff verbally abused and intimidated to such an extent that she suffered a heart attack a few hours later. This is totally unacceptable. Not only does the staff member involved now have a slow and long road to recovery, but the students in her class have been deprived of an extremely competent, dedicated and truly caring teacher for quite a few weeks. There are no winners in this situation and I believe it is extremely sad that students, parents and other staff had to witness such a display. This behaviour is socially unacceptable and will not be tolerated at XXXX Catholic College. It would seem that large portions of our society condone this behaviour. It is often what we see portrayed in the media, sprawled across our television screens and blaring out in the lyrics of popular songs. When students see their parents/caregivers treating others with disrespect when angry, they learn from example that the way to deal with their anger is to do the same. When students see their parents/caregivers not following the rules, they learn to not follow the rules. When students hear their parents/caregivers swearing at others, they learn that it is O.K. to use swearing as part of their common, everyday speech. These increasingly negative ways of speaking and behaving seem to be gaining acceptance in our society.

and behaviour, for some students, seem to be falling. Some students seem to think that it is appropriate to swear constantly, both in and out of the classroom. This will not be tolerated. Some students seem to think that it is appropriate to throw food around at lunch time, throwing it at other students and starting food fights. This will not be tolerated. Some students think it is O.K. to push and shove others around, just because they feel like it. This will not be tolerated. All students, from Years 5-12, have been very clearly told that this behaviour is unacceptable at XXXX Catholic College and will result in parents being contacted and students removed from the College for a period of time. I WILL NOT ALLOW THE EXCELLENT BEHAVIOUR AND REPUTATION OF THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS TO BE TARNISHED BY THOSE WHO CHOOSE NOT TO ABIDE BY OUR STANDARDS OF GOOD BEHAVIOUR. XXXX Catholic College is a great school and I am very proud to be Principal here. I know that we enjoy the support of the majority of our parent community and I believe we work well in partnership. I also believe that the majority of our students act with integrity, honesty, tolerance and good will to others. There is just a small minority who need to raise their behaviour to reach what we consider to be an acceptable level. We are very happy to help those students to do so, but it must be with the support of their families and caregivers. Without this support, we can achieve very little, and without this support, I would suggest that XXXX is not the place for these students. We must work in partnership, or not at all.

The IEU subscribes to a number of journals which may be of interest to members. There are two new ones: Muslims Australia (An Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) Publication and Redress (The Journal of the Association of Women Educators). You are able to come in a browse during office hours.

XXXX Catholic College has established codes of conduct for all within its community. These codes of conduct apply to parents, staff and students. Children, young and old, need and want boundaries. They need to know that these boundaries are fair and just and will be consistently and fairly applied. I am concerned that our standards of language

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Lutheran Digest Negotiations Update

Louise Firrell Organiser/Educator

Christian churches as well as other world faith systems have at their heart the importance of service to the poor, and the importance of eschewing greed and exploitation of others, this coupled with the rejection of ‘selfish individualism’ seems to frame the context for the belief that it is somehow ‘un-Christian’ to be involved in discussions about salary and conditions, that is Enterprise Bargaining. Recently, while visiting Lutheran schools to talk to staff about the changes to the Preserved State Agreement, I noticed a question written on a staffroom whiteboard which said: ‘Where does Industrial Relations fit with ‘vocation’ in Lutheran schools ie Enterprise Bargaining?’ I didn’t ask whether this was a rhetorical question or whether the writer was expecting formal or informal responses. In any event it was a question that has been framed in different ways by different staff in Lutheran schools from time to time, so I thought it worthy of some consideration.

A summary of the Lutheran Church of Australia’s position on the nature of vocation on their website says: ‘The idea of vocation (Gk. klesis: ‘calling’) has a long history in Christian theology. In basic, biblical terms, all Christians are called to follow Christ and live in him (Rom 1:6). Thus the call focuses on the gospel — both for those who preach (‘called to be an apostle’, 1 Cor. 1:1), and for those who hear and believe (‘called to be free’, Gal 5:13). The Christian life, therefore, can be described as living ‘a life worthy of the calling you have received’ (Eph 4:1) — and thus embraces a call to work in the manner described above (3.c.18), and implies a life which shuns selfish individualism and seeks community, fellowship, and the common good. On the basis of 1 Corinthians 7:20 (‘Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called’), Luther developed his teaching on the Christian’s calling in the world,[by] removing ‘vocation’ from the monastery to the marketplace. A Christian works in the world to the best of his or her ability; housewife, mother, cobbler, tailor, teacher — all of these can be ‘high callings’ in which faith and trust in God’s providential care grows, and the neighbour is served by love and good works. Right here — in this world: in our homes, schools and workplaces — is where we are to ‘take up our cross’ and live the lives of forgiven, forgiving sinners who have been ‘called by the gospel’.’

The problem may well start here with the concept of ‘shunning selfish individualism.’ All of the mainstream

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran Pastor and theologian, wrote that the spiritual and temporal world, while separate, coexisted. The spiritual world was the ultimate, the temporal, the penultimate and Christians must deal with their daily lives in a Christ centred way within the context of the secular environment. One of the central ethical issues in the discussion about work is the value of the person in the production cycle. Society exists for the benefit of all, and we each make a contribution to that whole. Individuals in that process should not be considered simply a commodity or material resource because it is through each individual’s labour that that social, intellectual and material capital is created. The individual contribution needs to be justly recognised and rewarded. To have a voice in that process is not ‘selfish individualism,’ but it is claiming the right to have a voice and participate fully as a citizen in the common endeavour, that is, ‘common good’. Most citizens feel comfortable with the notion of minimum standards for wages and conditions so that the most vulnerable in our society are protected from exploitation and are able to earn a ‘living wage’. That concept has underpinned Australian Industrial Relations from 1907, since the decision of Justice Higgins in the Harvester case. That fundamental principle which we now take for granted was argued for by working men and their wives in the face of opposition from their employer at the time, Mr Hugh Victor McKay, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery. Justice Higgins ruled that the workers’ remuneration “must be enough to support the wage earner in reasonable and frugal comfort.” It is hard to argue that exercise in Industrial Relations involved too much ‘selfish individualism’ on the part of the workers and their families. The Australian Industrial Relations framework has been shaped since Federation to enable working women and men to have an opportunity to influence their working conditions in ways that not only benefit the individual but the working community at large. We all accept as given the eight hour day, annual leave, leave loading, equal pay for equal work for men and women, maternity and paternity leave, superannuation, long service leave, health and safety legislation, sick leave, unemployment benefits and penalty rates, but it is easy to overlook the reality that these have

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

all been achieved through the efforts of working men and women through collective bargaining through their respective unions. The Lutheran Church has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Independent Education Union which acknowledges the importance and legitimacy of Industrial Relations in Lutheran Education, which is prominently displayed on most Lutheran school notice boards. The Catholic, Anglican and Uniting Churches also have policy positions supporting the rights of working men and women to be treated with fairness and dignity in their employment and supporting their right to join unions and be represented by them. So why is it that IR might not be compatible with the notion of ‘vocation?’ Is it that employees in Lutheran schools have such good salaries and conditions that they do not think that they need any improvement? Good conditions (smaller classes, adequate non-contact time, reasonable co-curricular load and so on) enable employees in schools to teach and support students more effectively. This is what schools and staff should be able to do. These conditions have been developed over time through Enterprise Bargaining. Salaries in Lutheran schools are maintaining their relative position with other non government schools in South Australia. This is seen to be fair and proper by the majority of staff, and we have not heard from any principals or bursars that staff have returned unwanted salary increases to their schools. If salaries are in excess of what is required by employees they could be put to good use supporting the disadvantaged in many ways. There seems to be little to support the argument that IR is not compatible with ‘vocation’ in a Lutheran or any other Christian or other religious school, unless it is an excuse to sit back and enjoy the benefits that have been gained for the ‘common good’ that others have secured for you.

ESO Update You have it, use it, if you want to know more, ask. Support Staff in our schools have quite detailed conditions codified in their agreements and in their underpinning award. In the recent Union negotiated Lutheran Schools Agreement, Lutheran School Officers have won access to: • Improved redundancy provisions • Accident Make Up Pay, if you are injured at work payment step downs are delayed • Clothing allowance • Family friendly breast feeding facilities • Release time for Health and Safety representatives • Access up to five (5) days of work related professional development or training per school year • Immunisation against infectious diseases • 10% salary increase over two years • Subsidised provision of uniform to a maximum reimbursement of $210 per calendar year

References Work in Lutheran Theology –The Concept of Vocation http://www.lca.org.au/resources/csbq/ workunemploy4.pdf Harvester Decision H B Higgins (1907). “Ex parte HV McKay (Harvester Case), (1907) 2 CAR 1” (pdf). Law Internet Resources. Parliament of Australia, Parliamentary Library. http://www.aph.gov. au/library/intguide/law/harvester.pdf Uniting Church – Church as Employer – A Statement of Principle – Synod of Victoria and Tasmania 2006 http://victas.uca.org.au/synod-committees-andforms/committees/lay-staff-representativescommittee-lsrc/industrial-relations--church-asemployer-a-statement-of-principles.pdf A Catholic Perspective on Industrial Relations Brian Lawrence, Chairman, Australian Catholic Council for Employment Relations A Faith Perspective on Industrial Relations in Contemporary Australian Society Community Forum, St John’s Catholic Church, Mitcham 2007 ttp://www.accer.asn.au/index2.php?option=com_ docman&task=doc_view&gid=75&Itemid=41

Footnote The ballot for the extension and variations to the Preserved State Agreement (Lutheran Schools Enterprise Agreement 2005) has been conducted and the majority of employees in Lutheran schools have voted in favour of the changes.

Wendy Evans Workplace Health Organiser

• Paid Carer’s leave will be for a maximum of 10 days in any one year, until the National Employment Standards removes limit in 2010 • Paid Maternity/Adoption Leave of 14 weeks • Two days paid family events leave • Access to a revised role classification criteria The IEU(SA) acknowledges and recognises the contribution that support staff make to our schools. The above conditions have been won through member involvement during negotiations. That involvement takes time and energy for the benefit of all. We are told that one of the reasons that support staff often aren’t members of the union is that they have never been asked. Please consider asking a non member to join. Education support staff in Catholic and Independent Schools have won similar conditions. For further and more detailed information about your particular conditions contact wendye@ieusa.org.au or the website www.ieusa.org.au.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

IEU Training Representative Education Program

The courses they have scheduled for the next few months are:

The new IEU Representative Education Program has commenced with an Introductory course for new Reps and a series of Continuing courses for Reps who have completed the Introductory course. Each course contains a number of modules which will be listed separately on Certificates so Reps can keep a record of their progress through the Education program.

24-28 August (Adelaide) 23-27 November (Mount Gambier)

The next dates for the Introductory Reps course are:

21-25 September (Adelaide)

• Monday 3 August

HSR Level 2 (for HSRs who have completed the level 1 course)

• Friday 18 September • Tuesday 29 September (school holidays) and the Continuing Reps course training dates are: • Monday 13 July – Industrial and other Workplace Related Legislation • Friday 14 August – Building Union Visibility • Thursday 8 October – Representing members Lutheran Consultative Committee courses A number of one day courses for members of Lutheran School Consultative Committees has commenced in June and will continue through to August. These will provide participants with the information and skills needed to effectively participate in the functions of the Consultative Committee.

Next dates for these courses are: • Monday 27 July and Thursday 6 August

Reps Conference Reps should keep the 4 September aside as that’s the day we will be holding our Annual IEU Reps Conference at Festival Functions Centre in Findon. This year’s conference will again focus on health and safety while looking at issues in “Building the Education Revolution” and could involve Health and Safety Representatives from Government Schools.

How to participate in IEU Training

SR Level 1 (for HSRS who have yet to attend training) 6-10 July (Port Pirie)

26-30 October (Adelaide)

27-31 July (Adelaide)

16-20 November (Adelaide)

3-7

August (Adelaide)

9-13 November (Adelaide) 14-18 September (Whyalla)

HSR Continuing Training (for HSRs who have completed level 1 and 2 training). All these courses will be held in Adelaide. • Review, revision and update – 20 July • Hazard management and hazardous substances – 21 July • Ergonomics in the workplace – 22 July • Psychological health – 30 September • Slips, trips and falls – 1 October • Workplace health-body mapping – 2 October Attending training is an entitlement for HSRs under the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act and the employer should cover the cost of the course. SA Unions also offers a range of other health and safety courses which are open to health and safety committee members, principals, managers, supervisors and health and safety coordinators.

Health and Safety Committees Health and safety committee skills for new committee members (1 day) 13 August, 29 September, 12 November

If you wish to nominate for any IEU courses please contact Carly or Gerry or your organiser at the IEU. Reasonable travel costs will be reimbursed for Reps who are attending from country schools. We request that you do not make any travel arrangements before discussing them and getting approval for them from us first.

Health and safety committee skills for continuing members 14 August, 13 November

Health and Safety Representative Training

Managers, supervisors and committee members – OH&S Training 15 – 16 September, 16 – 17 November

The IEU recommends SA Unions as the Safework approved provider for Health and Safety Representative training. You can enrol for their training courses online at http://www.saunions.org.au/hsrtraining or by contacting them on 8279 2222.

Gerry Conley Educator

Responsible Officer – OH&S Training (half day) 8 September, 27 October

Further information on these courses is available from the SA Unions website.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

OHS Project

OHS and “Building the Education Revolution” Gerry Conley OHS Project Officer Once started, the larger building projects (what happens inside the fenced off zone) should have an identified project manager but this will still be within the whole site that the Principal needs to manage and that will be dramatically changed because it will contain a construction site. Sites will still be continuing to provide education while projects ranging from minor refurbishment to large scale building and demolition are taking place and in a time frame that requires completion of all projects both large and small by January 2011. The scale, spread and short time frame for the almost concurrent expenditure of about $1.2 billion on physical facilities in most SA schools both nongovernment and government means that there will be a range of foreseeable hazards and identifiable risks to the health and safety of staff and students as well as construction workers. While welcoming the benefits that will follow from “Building the Education Revolution” (BER) we should be concerned about the potential for injury and illness which could arise, given the rapid decision making and short time frame for completion of projects that the Plan requires. BER will be a significant contribution to education in Australia but it should not compromise the health and safety of those who will have to work and learn on and around construction sites. The refurbishment and building work will come in several overlapping waves as the three different categories of funding National School Pride (2 rounds), Primary Schools for the 21st Century (2 rounds) and Science and Language Centres for the 21st century (1 round) are rolled out over the next year or so. Those of you who have been working in schools while construction work is going on are probably aware of some of the issues that arise which lead to risks to health and safety: • Relocation of staff, students and resources • Changed management to access and egress and traffic • Noise and dust • Hazardous and toxic substances • Interruptions to utility supply (water, power, gas) • Equipment and material obstructions • Student distraction and potential behaviour management issues • Presence of additional workers • Site security

The OHSW Act and Regulations require the employer to identify hazards and assess then control risks whenever any work, especially new work is undertaken. The Act also requires the employer to consult with health and safety representatives (HSRs) and involve them in ongoing decision making on changes to the workplace that may affect the health and safety of staff. HSRs have the power to request information and consultation from school management. They can also require that the risk of injury or illness from any identified hazard be assessed and appropriate measures be put in place to control it. So if your school hasn’t already done so, now is the time to start thinking about having an elected HSR. The IEU has had preliminary discussions with the AEU to develop a joint union campaign around the BER roll out. We would look at involving the CFMEU and other building unions through the Building Trades Federation with a view to developing a safety log of claims agreed between the unions and Safework SA. Other ideas being considered are joint information “giving” and “gathering” forums for union members at regional locations in both the metropolitan and country areas. The IEU has also proposed that the Reps conference scheduled for 4 September have BER as it’s major focus and invite HSRs from Government schools so that it becomes a joint Conference on health and safety issues facing schools that are construction sites. “Building the Education Revolution” is a Program that will make our schools better places to work and learn in. However, no one wants to see that happen at the cost of injury, illness or even death to the workers who are doing the building and the workers who are having to work adjacent to a construction site because health and safety matters are waived due to the tight time frame required to get the building completed.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Indigenous Issues

Declaration of Indigenous Rights Louise Firrell Organiser/Educator In an historic moment for all Australians, our Government formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on 3 April 2009. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a key step in advancing the human rights of Indigenous peoples across the world. “The rights recognised herein constitute the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and wellbeing of the indigenous peoples of the world.” - Article 43, Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Although Australia was one of four countries (along with the United States, Canada and New Zealand) that didn’t sign the Declaration in 2007, the Federal Government has since revised its position and announced its official endorsement of the Declaration on 3 April 2009. The Declaration is not legally binding, the principles and minimum standards outlined in the Declaration will need to be considered when implementing any future policies and programs. The Declaration is a key step in advancing the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration outlines the minimum standards for both state and non-state actors across the world in relation to Indigenous peoples.

What rights are recognised by the Declaration? After 20 years of negotiations between Indigenous Peoples and nation-states, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP) in September 2007. The Declaration recognises the human rights of Indigenous peoples to: • self-determination • land and natural resources • developing and protecting cultural, political, religious and educational institutions, and intellectual property • freedom from discrimination, assimilation and destruction of culture • economic and social development • environmental conservation • free, prior and informed consent, consultation, and participation in decision-making • fair and mutually acceptable procedures for conflict resolution • fair and adequate compensation for rights violations In particular, the Declaration calls attention to the needs of Indigenous elders, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities in the implementation of these rights. International Workgroup for Indigenous Affairs http://www.iwgia.org/sw248.asp

‘Human Rights in Australia: Connecting the Local and the Global’ The Federal Government has appointed a committee to consult with the Australian community about human rights issues. The committee has a program of forums to be held until the beginning of June throughout the country. Its terms of reference are:

by the Hon. Catherine Branson QC, President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

• Which human rights (including corresponding responsibilities) should be protected and promoted? • Are these human rights currently sufficiently protected and promoted? • How could Australia better protect and promote human rights?

Catherine Branson was born in 1948 at Terowie in South Australia and was educated at Presbyterian Girls College, (now Seymour College) before embarking on her career in the legal profession which lead to her appointment as a Federal Court Judge in 1994. Her address covered a broad range of issues that are within the terms of reference of the Government committee and provided the foundation for some interesting questions from the floor.

The IEU(SA)’s Equity Committee has been following this issue of whether or not Australia should have a Charter of Human Rights for some time, and has participated in other discussion forums in past years. In May, committee members attended an address

St David’s Anglican Parish of Burnside organised this event. Further information about the program of consultation and submissions to date: www.humanrightsconsultation.gov.au/www/nhrcc /nhrcc.nsf/Page/Home

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

What’s your problem...? an interactive column

If you have a question about your employment conditions that requires a prompt response, call the office and ask to speak to the duty officer of the day. If it is something that is not urgent, or you think that may be generally relevant to other members, send an email to dorothy@ieusa.org.au Identify yourself by name or membership number and any queries that are not selected for publication will be responded to personally.

Facebook: Personal or Professional?

Dear Dorothy, At my school there has been a big investigation and management flurry around something which appeared on Facebook. There was serious talk of defamation and breaches of policies but this all seemed a bit over the top. Surely my employer would be infringing my rights by attempting to control what I do in my own time on my own computer. Please advise me what my rights are. Webster.

Dear Webster,

If only it were that simple. The IEU became involved in three incidents involving a quiz circulated via the Facebook social network in as many days. Although the content of the quiz can be best described as “adolescent silliness”, it can be offensive to people who are the butt of cruel and unjustified public criticism. Online defamation is a downside of our www.world. A few years ago the craze amongst students and ex-students was the RateMyTeachers website where anonymous comments and ratings could be left for named teachers. Some members were quite rightly offended by hurtful comments left some times with malevolent motives. It is all very well for the teacher to be named – why would not the student also need to be named? It appears that this site, whilst still in operation, has lost its initial popularity. A more offensive form of defamation also came to our attention with the vandalism of a school’s Wikipedia entry. Comments repeatedly left were offensive in the extreme and designed to hurt and damage named people. Even more extreme and subject to criminal proceedings is a case where hurtful emails were sent to a member apparently from the principal. The resulting investigation

caused great division and angst within the branch and put the employer to great expense in tracking the source of the heavily disguised email. Electronic communications open up other challenges. With mobile phones being able to photograph, video and sound record we also have a current issue where a member is being called to account for the content of a lesson which was secretly recorded by a student. Isolated comments had been transcribed by the parent and presented out of context in a complaint to the school. Rather than the student being in trouble for the outrageous illegal secret recording, the teacher is being heavied by CEO legal firepower in an ongoing wrangle. The short answer Webster is that we must be mindful that anything we post even on a restricted social networking site has the potential to be spread far and wide. One must be aware that anything reflecting on your professionalism can come back to bite you. The IEU defends the rights of its members to participate privately in the full range of legal online occupations and entertainments that would be considered professionally ethical. Where the identity of the author of objectionable remarks can be identified the employer has the duty to follow up and shut down the offensive material. Where the source is not identifiable the employer and the police are generally powerless. The IEU is not willing to publish its advice to members on IT issues for various reasons. If members would be interested in attending a “members-only” session on the professional, legal and industrial aspects of IT email Gerry Conley gerryc@ieusa.org.au and we will organise something if there is sufficient interest.

Dorothy.

Email Gerry Conley at gerryc@ieusa.org.au if you would be interested in attending a “members only” information session on the issues surrounding the use of IT

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

CAMPAIGN UPDATE

Our campaign goals

Here is a summary of what the Your Rights at Work Campaign has achieved so far::

No AWA individual contracts

AWAs were the centrepiece of the Howard Government’s WorkChoices. They were used to break down collective strength in the workplace, and to drive down wages and conditions. They were an anathema to the spirit of a fair go. The Rudd Government banned the making of new AWAs a year ago. While it is disappointing workers can remain on these contracts, the new laws will allow workers on expired AWAs to access collective bargaining. Other AWAs will also have to comply with the new National Employment Standards.

A strong safety net

The safety net of awards and National Employment Standards will be expanded far beyond the minimum five basic conditions under WorkChoices. Under the new laws, entitlements that will be protected include maximum weekly hours of work, overtime pay, penalty rates, public holidays, redundancy, annual leave and rest breaks. Employers will not be able to strip them away. A streamlined system of new, modern awards are also being created that will safeguard minimum wages, types of employment, superannuation, and procedures for dispute settlement. WorkChoices left awards to waste away, but under the new laws they will be reviewed every four years. Unions will also be able to regularly run “test cases” which in the past delivered such important conditions as carers leave, maternity leave and the 38 hour week across the community. The process for determining minimum rates of pay will also be fairer and a lot more transparent under Labor’s new laws. Under WorkChoices, the wages of more than one million award-reliant workers declined in real terms. Minimum wage workers can now look forward to a much fairer and more transparent system of setting their pay.

Collective bargaining rights

Collective bargaining will be the centrepiece of the new IR system. Bargaining will be required to be conducted “in good faith” meaning that employers must be fair dinkum about trying to get a result. Workers will be able to insist on bargaining for a collective agreement and your union will also have a guaranteed right to represent you — both things which were denied under WorkChoices. The agreement must be genuinely reached and it must leave workers better off overall. In addition, the new industrial umpire will be able to settle an agreement when there have been serious and persistent breaches of good faith bargaining, as we have seen in cases like Telstra and Cochlear. Importantly, the umpire will also be able to help groups of workers like cleaners, childcare workers, hospital workers and community workers to bargain collectively in ways not previously possible and to settle an agreement where necessary.

Right to union membership and representation

One of the basic tenets of democracy is the choice to belong to a union. WorkChoices encouraged a pattern of intimidation by threats of dismissal, pressure, discrimination and victimisation that eroded this basic right. The right to be in a union will be enshrined by the new laws and there will be greater protections for delegates during collective bargaining. It will be unlawful to take action against someone simply because they exercise a workplace right, or to discriminate against someone because they are a union member or involved in union activities. In addition, there will be a guaranteed right of union representation in those situations where you need your union involved, including in consultation and dispute settlement processes. The ability of unions to enter workplaces to hold discussions with members or potential

UNFINISHED BUSINESS Unions will never stop campaigning for a better deal for Australian workers and their families. We will help workers use the new laws to secure better wages, conditions and rights in their workplace. And, while these laws are a major step forward, there is still unfinished business that must be sorted out, including:

members and to check workers are not being ripped off will no longer be

displaced by non-union agreements.

Protection from unfair dismissal

All workers will once again have protection from unfair dismissal after a six month qualifying period (if you work in a small business of 15 or less, you will have to be employed for a year). This will include high earners covered by awards. The exemption from unfair dismissal when sackings occur for “operational reasons” will be removed. This is a major improvement on WorkChoices which slashed unfair dismissal rights and left many young and vulnerable workers with no protections at all, a situation that many employers exploited.

An independent umpire

The role of the independent umpire is vital to making sure the system works properly. It needs to be easy to use, affordable, timely and have the teeth to do the job properly. WorkChoices rendered the industrial umpire powerless, but the new laws will deliver an umpire with the powers to get the job done. Fair Work Australia will be able to conciliate, mediate, call compulsory conferences and make recommendations. One of Fair Work Australia’s main roles will be to assist with bargaining, including supervising industrial action, and facilitating bargaining for low paid workers. And the umpire will have real teeth, with new grounds for arbitration when bargaining fails. The courts will also be given a new role in overseeing the application of awards and the National Employment Standards. This will provide a strong deterrent against the infringement of workers’ rights and entitlements, with employers facing court-imposed orders, injunctions, and penalties.

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• The need for a range of improvements to the transitional Bill, including stronger rights for workers stuck on WorkChoices AWAs to return to collective bargaining. • Removing the restrictions on the content of bargaining and collective agreements. • Improving workers’ rights to take industrial action and an end to the docking of a minimum of four hours pay for taking unprotected industrial action. • Strengthening workers access to cheap and effective dispute procedures when they have a grievance at work. • Ensuring no workers are disadvantaged by the proposed modern awards and that the rights of contractors are protected. • An end to the discriminatory laws for workers in the construction industry. The Australian Building and Construction Commission is an affront to our values and must not be replaced by a new entity with a different name but the same oppressive powers.

Spencer Gulf Tour

Union Membership in our Country Schools Bruno Sartoretto Organiser • the importance of Union density – collective strength wins better outcomes. • conditions staff are currently employed under were won by previous union members. They are not there because of employer generosity!

Union Membership in our country schools is important to the IEU.

It is important to acknowledge and thank school management at those schools in allowing us the time to fulfil our role. With a follow up visit to these same schools looming we are confident that the membership in the region will continue to grow.

In May IEU Organisers Frank Bernardi, Wendy Evans and I visited Caritas College (Port Augusta), St Barbara’s Parish School (Roxby Downs), Samaritan College (Whyalla) and St Marks College (Pt Pirie). The purpose of the visit was to update staff in relation to the current Enterprise Agreement negotiations and highlight the importance of being an IEU member. As a team we were able to ensure that as many staff as possible were contacted and informed about negotiations. It also gave us the opportunity to field any questions about the process, explain the employers’ position and response to claims, explain the employers’ counter claims and discuss the much talked about employers’ view of “parity.” With Tony Johnston from Teachers Health in tow, some 25 plus teachers and ESOs realised the benefits of becoming a member of the IEU. Not only was the direct benefit of being a union member highlighted but the many ancillary benefits were explored with new and existing members alike. Tony Johnston was not surprised by the number of existing and new members who decided to change their private health insurance to Teachers Federation Health after he provided comparison quotes. Eight staff at one site alone. As one new member signing up on the day at Samaritan College put it, ‘With the savings I will be making by joining Teachers Federation Health and moving my money to Members Equity Online Savings Account I will be about $1000 per year better off and that is after the union fees!” (And that member hadn’t taken into account that IEU fees are tax deductible!). A pleasing aspect was that a significant number of new members were beginning teachers. With a 50% discount on membership fees in the first 12 months of teaching, becoming a member is extremely attractive. As pointed out, this equated to $20.00 per month and even less after the tax deduction. Many other staff expressed interest in becoming an IEU member and supporting the current EA negotiations to deliver better conditions and salary. The two important features that consistently struck a nerve were:

Welcome aboard – five of the eighteen new members to sign up at Samaritan College during the recent IEU Spencer Gulf road trip

Stars for Luke your hands have become weapons to plunge through the wire that was framed & welded to protect you from what is at the end of the garden path at night on the back step your mother sits & stares into her father’s yard three generations under one roof the absent husband, father, son in law & you son, still pounding holes in the sky for stars to fill

Rory Harris March’09

IEU Happy Snaps Loud Shirt Day Raising Funds for “Get Deaf Kids Talking”.

Back Row: Robyn Phillips, Meredith McMeeking, Pauline Gardner. Front Row: Nicola Cappon

IEU(SA) staff enjoyed morning tea on Loud Shirt Day.

Mother’s Day Classic Walk and Fun Run

IEU Members joined with the SA Unions Team

May Day March

7 APHEDA - Terri Daktyl ClubHouse Fundraiser Dinner8

Adrian and Sonya Flynn and Louise and Jack Firrell

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Absolutely Super: Swan’s Super Song

Bernard O’Connor NGS Super

The Federal Treasurer delivered his expected “hard choice” budget on 12 May with a centrepiece of pension increases for both singles ($32.49 per week) and couples ($10.41 per week combined). Also of interest is the gradual increase of the Age Pension eligibility age to 67. He announced significant changes to superannuation to address what the government considers to be unstainable tax concessions for high income earners. Some of the most important super changes to be implemented from 1 July, 2009, include: • The reduction on the cap of concessional contributions from $50,000 to $25,000 and the transitional cap from $100,000 to $50,000. Concessional contributions include salary sacrifice and employer contributions which are taxed at 15%. The transitional cap will expire on 30 June, 2012, and those over 50 years will revert to the lower, indexed $25,000 per year cap. • The non-concessional (after tax) contribution will remain at $150,000 per year. Members who wish to contribute larger amounts, usually due to a property sale or inheritance, will still be able to contribute $450,000 in advance for three years. • Temporary reduction of the co-contribution scheme: the government matching rate will be reduced from 150% to 100% for contributions made between 1 July, 2009 and 30 June 2012. The matching rate will increase to 125% for contributions made from 1 July, 2012 and 30 June, 2014. It will then increase to 150% from 1 July, 2014. Anyone eligible for the full co-contribution from next financial year will receive a co-contribution of $1,000 rather than the current $1,500. • Minimum drawdown reduction for members on pensions and transition to retirement pensions. The minimum drawdown for the next financial year will be 2% of the account balance. This measure was implemented because many pensioners did not wish to draw down the previous minimum 4% when unit prices had declined considerably due to the market downturn. • Lost super: from 1 July, 2009, superannuation providers will be required to transfer accounts with less than a $200 balance and accounts which have been inactive for 5 years with insufficient owner information to unclaimed monies. Former holders of these accounts will be able to reclaim their balance from the ATO.

So anyone over age 50 who had planned to top up their super via salary sacrifice will have a limited window of opportunity from 2009 – 2012 to contribute up to $50,000 per annum including the employer contribution. After that time the limit drops back to $25,000 per annum. It is also important to calculate the correct contribution as any amounts contributed which are over the limit ($50,000 or $25,000) will be taxed at the highest marginal tax rate rather than the concessional 15% tax paid on super. Individuals currently on Transition to Retirement Pensions (TRAPs) will be allowed to draw down 2% as a minimum (rather than 4%) for the next financial year. Due to the lower level of concessional contributions, however, it is likely that TRAPs will lose their attractiveness for many working transition to retirement pensioners. Individuals currently using this strategy may wish to consult a financial planner to determine the ongoing effectiveness of this method of saving. It is also significant to note that the Pension Bonus Scheme will be closed to new entrants from 20 September, 2009. Instead the Government will introduce a Work Bonus which discounts 50% of employment income in determining pension entitlements under the income test. In the light of a projected deficit of $57.6B, the Rudd government has taken a “hard choice” position to recover tax revenue where possible. While it is regrettable that the popular government co-contribution has been reduced, it is significant that this assistance to low paid workers has not been removed entirely. Similarly, the reduction in concessional contributions for those over 50 will impact negatively on those employees who had intended to salary sacrifice heavily in the lead up to their retirement. Clearly the lost super consolidation is a matter of common sense as members will still be able to track it through the ATO, but dormant accounts in super funds will be closed. Your position on the changes will most likely depend on your age, your degree of salary sacrifice and whether or not you have been receiving the government co-contribution. What is certain is that the Rudd Government will be reviewing our world-class superannuation system with a view of keeping it attractive as an investment vehicle and equitable for all members. (Disclaimer: the information in this article is of a general nature only and does not constitute personal financial planning advice. If you require personal financial planning advice, you should consult a licensed financial planner.)

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Conference Report Positive Education Training “an opportunity to change your life, your teaching, your school”

Jane Bode Walford School During the Christmas holidays I attended the Positive Training Conference hosted by Geelong Grammar. The six day residential conference was led by world renowned psychologist Professor Martin Seligman and his team from the University of Pennsylvania. The certified course defined the concept of Positive Psychology and presented highly detailed curricula for two Positive Psychology training programs for students. The two programs included the Penn Resilience Program for children and adolescents and the Positive Psychology Program for secondary school students, (specifically Year 9). The course outlined the fundamental principles and skills of Positive Psychology that assist the development of resilience, optimism, character strengths, engagement in the classroom, positive communication and positive relationships both within the school environment and in everyday life. To this end the course focussed specifically on the presentation of eight key learning objectives. These included:

It is my belief that resiliency is one personal quality that is vital in the context of modern life but is an area which is given little specific time in the school curriculum to develop and nurture within our students. The twelve lesson program for youth, which incidentally is accompanied by one for parents, is broadly comprised of two modules: cognitive and social problem solving. The cognitive component is intrapersonal in focus and looks at how students’ beliefs about events mediate their impact on their emotions and behaviour. Consequently the resiliency program aims to pinpoint when these beliefs may be flawed and provide means to develop belief “accuracy” and hence more positive behaviour and emotions. The second component covers a variety of skills for problem solving and coping with stressors and difficult emotions. The course aims to teach children assertiveness and decision making strategies whilst also how to relax and overcome procrastination.

• Using Positive Psychology to increase positive emotions, build character strengths and enhance a sense of meaning.

The Positive Psychology curriculum comprised a more general overview and treatment towards developing a positive outlook to life.

• Applying this science to the field of Education.

The seventeen lesson program, aimed specifically at year nine students divided positive psychology into three separate areas of study. These included a) a study of positive emotions eg confidence, hope and trust, b) an analysis of positive character traits eg strengths, virtues and skills and c) a study of what constitutes a positive institution eg democracy, strong families and free inquiry.

• Learning about the empirically validated Penn Resilience Program curriculum which has been demonstrated to reduce and prevent depression, anxiety, pessimism and conduct problems in youth. • Learning the seven core abilities that comprise resilience, emotional awareness, impulse control, optimism, selfefficacy, empathy, flexible and accurate thinking and reaching out. • Practising specific resilience skills to develop and enhance each of the core abilities and how to apply these skills to meet challenges, bounce back from failure and achieve one’s goals. • Learning about the Positive Psychology Program curriculum that has been demonstrated to increase character strengths related to learning (e.g. curiosity, love of learning) increase achievement, and improve social skills in youth. • Learning the twenty four character strengths, the research supporting the importance of identifying and using strengths, and will identify and practice applying our own strengths and those of our colleagues. • Learning and practising skills for savouring, building positive communication and strategies of praise that build mastery and competence. In terms of personal engagement over the six days and application of principles presented to Walford I found the Penn Resiliency Programme to be of great interest and value.

An understanding of positive emotions consists of the study of contentment with the past, happiness in the present and hope for the future. An understanding of positive individual traits consists of the study of strengths and virtues, such as the capacity for love and work, courage, compassion, resilience, creativity, curiosity, integrity, self knowledge, moderation, self control and wisdom. An understanding of positive institutions entails the study of the strengths that foster better communities such as justice, responsibility, civility, parenting, nurturance, work ethic, leadership, teamwork, purpose and tolerance. It is my view that the benefits of imbedding the principles of Positive Psychology into our community are significant. It will compliment and add considerable value to creating an environment that allows our girls to flourish and mature to adulthood. Jane was supported in attending this Conference with an IEU(SA) PD Grant.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

APHEDA

The Terri Daktyl Clubhouse Opens Anne Edwards Organiser past that to what is possible. Terri had a big heart, a kind heart. She would be glad of this nice clubhouse. We wish you success in this place. May it bring kind hearts to all who come here.” Since the opening, lots of national groups have visited the club to see how they work. Terri would be very proud. The new HIV/AIDS clubhouse has been opened in Kinh Mon, one of 11 districts in the Hai Duong Province in Vietnam’s Red River Delta. The clubhouse was built with funds raised by APHEDA activists in memory of Terri Daktyl, a South Australian Unionist killed tragically last year. As agricultural land has been converted to industry in the province, social problems such as trafficking of women and drug abuse are on the rise. Kinh Mon has the 3rd highest number of HIV+ people in the Province – 386. The club provides opportunities for families to meet and share their experiences and to receive support and education. The club holds activities which challenge the myths, stigma and discrimination that exist in the general community. Prior to the club opening, meetings were held in a member’s home which was very small.

The APHEDA Acitivist Group is continuing to fundraise for the Clubhouse in Terri’s memory. The 2009 Terri Daktyl Memorial Dinner held on May 30 raised $8,154. You can help MAKE LIFE FAIR EVERYWHERE by becoming a Global Justice Partner. Help people in developing countries by making a regular commitment to the long-term struggle for justice, human rights, education, training and development. Go to www.apheda.org.au to find out how.

One club member said:“When I first visited a sick person, the family kept saying that they wanted me to take the sick family member away. Now that I have spoken to them they no longer ask about this and are supportive of the family member and he is receiving care at home.” Jude Price of the ASU, spoke of Terri at the opening. “Our friend and comrade, Terri Daktyl visited Hanoi in 2007 with the APHEDA cycle tour. She met some of you then and visited the HIV project.

Cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Kinh Mon Clubhouse (Former IEU Officer Deb Nicholls 4th from right).

When she came home to Adelaide Terri spoke to us all of the HIV Project and March 8 Centre with much concern and interest in your wellbeing.

Terri Daktyl

Terri died suddenly in March last year and we knew it was important that we support the project she spoke so passionately about. Terri’s friends and other unionists raised funds to help build this clubhouse for the people she cared about and we did this in her memory. Terri was a woman of great compassion. She was fearless and was very good at meeting people and making people feel comfortable. She could look at hard reality and then see

Deb Nicholls (former IEU(SA) Officer) 4th from left, Jodie Schluter (former SA Unions) and Jude Price (ASU) front row 1st and 2nd from right respectively.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Who’s who…

Introducing Gerry Conley Shirley Schubert For a boy who was born on the wrong side of the tracks and downwind from the meatworks and fish factory in Port Lincoln, Gerry has certainly gotten around! He remembers with mixed affections his home in the housing trust area on the then outskirts of Lincoln, with thick scrub just up the hill hiding granite outcrops and wild billy cart tracks, abandoned early settler houses which made great forts, and the aroma of the fish factory when the wind blew from the south. When Gerry went back to Lincoln last year he revisited his first school, St Joseph’s, and found it much changed because “the old Kelly Memorial building that had housed the entire school population when I went there had disappeared altogether” though he confessed that he “was pleased that they’d kept some of the original wall.” His Dad worked on the railways but the four Conley kids have all ended up in health related jobs of one kind or another. Gerry started working life in a shoe factory, after a year at Adelaide Teachers’ College. Along the way, he worked for the Australian Public Service at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Non-Government Schools Commission, and in the then Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health as a training consultant. Gerry joined the union when he started work and became a rep for ACOA (now part of CPSU, which covers workers in the Australian Public Service). A big interest in union training and education developed since running his first course in the early 1980s – “with no permanently employed educator, some of us would take time off to design and run the union training.” This led to a career as a training consultant in Government employment, followed by time as the Union Educator at the Public Service Association before moving over to SA Unions as an OHS trainer, then to the ACTU, back to SA Unions and now here at the IEU. Some memorable experiences as a union and OHS educator have included the times when “I’ve had live chickens run across a training room, red crabs, a sick puppy; I have run a training session in the baboon cage at Adelaide zoo; the kitchen at Government House; a kingfish farm at Whyalla; a cemetery; an operating theatre on a RAAF base; on the wharf at Outer Harbor; a tram; and quite a few schools.”

What’s with the red crabs? Gerry spent a week on Christmas Island in 2001 presenting OHS training to Island workers. “It was the height of the red crab migration season, thus the crabs in the training room. Crabs were everywhere; you showered while dodging them, you checked the bed every night, they crawled up the table when you ate. The downside was the number of crushed crabs on the road, like driving over a red carpet, and the smell of dead crab made the morning walk to work not too pleasant.”

Not all crabs were a pest. Gerry offered to help empty the Robber Crab traps – very large land crabs with powerful pincers which can take off a finger with one nip. Wisely, he took one look and revised his offer to stand back and take some photos! There is a lot more to Gerry than this brief history tells – he is a well travelled, well read Dad and Grandpa who enjoys life – but we can tell that another time as we benefit from his experience and knowledge of work, health and safety for a while yet.

Agreement Negotiations for the First Time Two schools in the non-government sector are embarking on agreement making for the first time. Members at the Islamic College of South Australia and Burc College have begun the process of negotiating staff agreements. Both schools have been relying on the Teacher’s Non-Government Schools Award and the School Assistants Non-Government Schools Award for their employment conditions. This means they have not had the benefit of many of the improvements that schools with Enterprise Agreements have secured over time. IEU(SA) Reps at each school have been working over the last couple of years to increase Union membership and educate the membership about working together to achieve their goals. While both schools are in the early stages of negotiations, both employers have given staff a 5% salary increase for 2009 and the Islamic College has agreed to provide its female staff with 12 weeks paid maternity leave.

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

What I do in my retirement Deborah Nicholls

After years of paid employment, I decided when I retired from IEU(SA) to work as a volunteer for Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA. From all the news updates contained in EdU, you will know that Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA is the overseas humanitarian, social justice and development organisation of the trade union movement in Australia. As well as many other countries, APHEDA has projects in Vietnam. It has been my very great privilege to work here as a volunteer. I have been a member of APHEDA for many years and a member of the SA Activist Group since its inception. Last year, whilst doing some voluntary work in Hanoi, I decided that I would volunteer for a longer period of time. So, with one suitcase just under the baggage limit, I arrived in Hanoi on 4 March 2009. Hanoi is one of my favourite cities. And it has such a long history. In 2010 it will be celebrating its 1000 years anniversary as the capital of Vietnam. In 1010, Lý Thái To, the first ruler of the Lý Dynasty, moved the capital of Đai Viet (the Great Viet, then the name of Vietnam) to the site of the Đai La Citadel.

HIV/AIDS support, education and awareness raising is another project of APHEDA, in both Hai Duong and Bac Kan Provinces to the north and east of Hanoi. And there is a project with APHEDA in partnership with the Hai Duong Women’s Union that aims to prevent and educate women about the dangers of trafficking. Unscrupulous people make money from women who are trafficked to China to be forced into labour or marriage. Part of the education process also focuses on the removal of the stigma associated with being trafficked. I must say that I am fortunate to be able to do work I enjoy in the company of staff who are so dedicated to social justice and equity. Please feel free to drop by if you are ever in Hanoi. IEU(SA) has my email address so that you can contact me to arrange to catch up.

Luckily, I have been to Vietnam before otherwise I could have easily succumbed to the many interesting, historic and beautiful places to visit in and around the city. And of course, the shopping. And as for the food! So fresh! So delicious! In Hanoi, too, I have always felt quite safe to walk around, even at night. And it rains! (This may have been more important to share with you a while ago. I now know that you have been having rain in Adelaide and SA). Even though I have been here a number of times before, I never feel bored.

Where did this one come from? Dessert at Hoa Sua training restaurant for disadvantaged children

APHEDA in Vietnam I thought that this EdU I would give an overview of some of the projects APHEDA has in Vietnam. Next edition, I’ll look at one of the projects in more detail.

Electrical course: electrical theory lesson at Hai Duong Women’s Union Vocational and Employment 8 March Centre

APHEDA works on projects mainly in partnership with the Vietnamese Women’s Union and the Vietnamese General Confederation of Labour and Vietnamese unions. Currently we have education projects with a number of unions, providing occupational health and safety training and collective agreement training for union members who will be negotiating collective agreements and working with projects to improve wages and conditions. In addition to these projects, there are projects that provide access to vocational education for young people who suffer a disability, including from agent orange/dioxin. There is a similar project providing training to improve the skills of poor rural women so that they can gain employment.

For the Catholic members – from the Catholicism in VN display at the Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi 2009

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

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Youth@Work Young South Australians now have a dedicated website to answer their questions about workplace safety, fair pay and conditions. The site was launched by Industrial Relations Minister, Paul Caica on 19 May who said it is a great resource, not only for young people themselves but also for parents, caregivers and employers. “ It will provide young South Australians with ongoing information and advice on what safety systems should exist at work, how to ensure they receive their proper pay, conditions and entitlements, and what to do if they’re bullied or harassed” he said. The Young Workers Website Project began in 2008 and collected information through conducting focus groups at secondary schools and local council Youth Advisory Committees (YACs) across South Australia; hosting a Young Workers forum in partnership with the Office for Youth; and an online survey through the Safework SA website from 1 June to 31 July.

• need to know rights regarding termination; • need to provide “Material Safety Data Sheets” in workplaces where chemicals are used; • and most wanted a website that should provide quick and easy access to information and information that was easy to understand. The new website addresses these concerns and many other workplace issues of importance to young workers (those aged between 15 and 24) and those about to enter the work force, because they are leaving school or seeking casual work outside school hours. It can be found at www.safework.sa.gov.au/youth.

Some examples of the information received included: • that the youngest respondents (aged 15-17 years) were less familiar with awards and enterprise agreements; • trial work was an area where there was evidence of considerable confusion with the majority uncertain that employers have to pay for trial work; • 42% of respondents in the survey indicated they had experienced bullying or harassment at work; • need for inducting young workers into the workplace, providing information and training;

EdU July 2009 IEU(SA)

Independent Education Union South Australia 213-215 Currie Street Adelaide SA 5000 Phone 8410 0122 Country caller 1800 634 815 Fax 8410 0282 enquiries@ieusa.org.au www.ieusa.org.au